Animal control says Towson snake not a python, and not unusual

Reports of a 7-foot python that Baltimore County police said was found in Towson on Sunday night, June 10, raised interest and curiosity among local residents.

But the reptile in question is actually a 5-foot rat snake that posed no threat, Baltimore County Animal Control Assistant Chief Tom Collins said Monday.

Collins said the on-call officer at the animal control center responded to the 1300 block of Taylor Avenue at the request of the county police, who responded to the scene at about 9:30 p.m. because a resident reported the snake in the roadway.

By the time police responded, the snake had moved into a nearby bush, according to the police dispatcher said. Collins said police told animal control the snake was a python.

"That's the only reason my officer would have gone out," Collins said.

The animal control officer picked the snake up and brought it back to animal control, where Collins identified it as a rat snake this morning.